To my Alice on your second birthday

Dear Alice,

You’ll have to excuse my incredulity. Even though I’ve been living our version of “normal” as a mom for two years, I still cannot believe I’m a mommy to a 2 year old girl. What a spectacular thing, to be a mom. More specifically to be your mom.

When people don’t have kids of their own, they generally have no idea just how much joy having a child can truly bring. It’s not even possible to quantify the amount of joy you bring to our family, it has no end. Every morning I wake up so excited for the day ahead because I get to be your mom. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely happy before you came. But this is a different kind of joy. It’s difficult to accurately describe, but I know you’ll understand one day if you have kids of your own.

MY LATEST VIDEOS

MY LATEST VIDEOS

Watching you flourish and develop into a toddler over the past year has been such a pleasure. Sure, there were challenging moments. Your Daddy and I were (are) still learning what it is to be parents and you are coming into yourself more and more as each day passes. But even with the challenges, we’re all in it together and that makes this journey a happy one.

You are fiercely independent. You’ve always had an independent spirit; playing well on your own, taking a few minutes to warm up before jumping in with the rest of your friends at daycare (although, once you are in, you always enjoy yourself as well). But now more than ever, you make it a priority to assert your independence whenever the opportunity presents itself, which is constantly.

Having you tell me “I do it” or “I got it” in your sweet toddler voice always makes me smile, even on the rare occasion that you’re petulant about it. But it’s the moments after you do whatever task you’ve asserted as your own, when you say “I did it!” that truly melts my heart. The pride in your voice and your body language makes me fall apart in the best possible way.

This year your vocabulary and motor skills have exploded. There are times where your father and I just look at each other in awe of the things you are doing and saying, with silly grins on our faces. Everyone who meets you falls in love with your quick wit and you sweet disposition. Yes, you have your toddler moments and you absolutely challenge us. But overall you’re just a really good kid and you have a super fun sense of humor as well.

Most importantly, your heart for loving others has no bounds. Though you’re can initially be shy, you soon open up and bring sunshine to whomever you’re with. This has especially been true with your sister. There are so many small, simple moments. Moments when you show her the most tender love and affection. There are also moments when you are not being put first. When we are needing to put Tessa’s needs first. These are times where you have every opportunity to act out toward your sister, demand our attention and take it all out on Tess and yet you never, ever do any of these things in those moments.

It’s almost as though you just get it and your love for her is more important to you than your need to be first in line at that particular moment. This speak volumes of your beautiful character. As a new mom of two it is especially touching to see the two little girls who own my heart loving each other so sweetly. We don’t often have to ask you to give Tessa affection and love, you just know to do it. It’s built into your nature.

You and I have this thing we do. I’ll whisper to you “Hey, Alice. Guess what?” and you’ll whisper back, “What?” and I’ll whisper “I love you!” and you’ll immediately whisper back “I love you!” We mostly have this exchange in person though sometimes, its through your monitor as you drift off to sleep. It’s a quiet, simple moment between us. But this exchange means the entire world to me. So it’s only fitting that I end this letter by saying- Hey Alice. Guess what? I love you.

No Comments

Hello There!

Welcome to The Life Jolie! This is a place to talk about all things delicious, family-related and pretty. Click on the photo to read more about me.

Let’s be social!

Popular Posts

All images and text on this site are property of The Life Jolie and are rights protected. All free printables are for personal use only. Linking back and pinning are always welcome and appreciated! For more information, please view our Blog Policies and Disclaimer. Thank you!